The European Society of Radiology (ESR) and National
Decision Support Company (NDSC) today officially launched ESR iGuide at the European Congress of Radiology 2015 in Vienna. The ESR iGuide is a clinical
decision support (CDS) system enabling doctors to order medical imaging
procedures for their patients based on the best available medical evidence.

‘We are thrilled to announce the launch of ESR iGuide as a
tool to bring the quality of medical imaging services to a higher and more
consistent level’, says incoming ESR President Prof. Lluís Donoso. "The ESR
considers imaging referral guidelines essential to improve appropriateness in
medical imaging, and CDS is the best way to make guidelines available in a
user-friendly way. ESR iGuide provides referring physicians with
recommendations based on the latest clinical evidence and gives patients
confidence that every scan they undergo is medically justified."

Adds Michael Mardini, CEO of NDSC: "This is a tremendous
opportunity to work alongside the ESR and provide a robust content delivery
mechanism, capable of delivering European wide criteria while supporting
country or site specific requirements. The medical expertise of the ESR
together with our technical experience will create a more efficient way of
selecting, ordering and monitoring radiological services, in turn improving the
quality and safety of imaging services across Europe."

The ESC iGuide is part of the ESR’s overall strategy and
commitment to improve quality and safety in medical imaging. The project was
launched after an ESR-led European Commission tender study showed that
existing guidelines are available in only 70 percent of European countries, and that
their use in daily practice is minimal. In addition, the existing guidelines
are only available as plain text and updated just every few years.

The new ESR iGuide offers a solution to these issues and not only provides up-to-date
and scientifically valid guidance, updated regularly by an ESR expert team in
cooperation with the American College of Radiology (ACR) but also an
efficient, traceable and reliable way of selecting and ordering imaging exams
in daily practice.It is believed that
the new iGuide will improve the clinical workflow and will benefit general
practitioners and other specialists, radiologists, hospital managers and
patients alike.

‘The content delivery mechanism integrates directly into
electronic health records (EHR) or other IT platforms used by an institution
and ensures that the correct guidelines and feedback are presented to referring physicians’ explains Mardini. "Our in
depth experience in delivering this solution nationally within the United
States will guide us as we implement across the European market".

In parallel to the development of ESR iGuide, the ESR and the ACR are also working to achieve a common vision to provide a global set of guidelines in the future.

The ESR iGuide will be distributed from late 2015. More
information is available at www.ESRiGuide.org.

No comment

Highlighted Products

Due to the complex nature of the spine, surgeries may be particularly difficult and call for careful preparation for better outcomes.
The spineEOS online software provides a 3D visualization of the patient’s spine in its current state as well as a literature-based,...

Wide high-resolution touch screen for easy ECG review
Full-size keyboard with a durable cover keeping dust, dirt and liquids away, making it highly hygienic
ETM Sport, the first automated interpretation of athletes’ ECGs based on the Seattle...

Sectra provides a complete solution for primary diagnostics in pathology. The solution includes archiving and storage solutions together with high-end review workstations. It allows pathologists to make their diagnoses and reports with higher precision...

Sectra PACS is designed for a high production environment with stability and usability in focus. Highlights include functions to speed up oncology workflows such as anatomical linking and support for reviewing complex multiparametric MRI studies such...